January 4, 2018

Eldredge Road Maple Four Seasons (TRE208) was selected by photographers nation wide for publication in the January 2018 issue of Shutterbug Magazine. A theme is published each month by the magazine for reader to submit works to. This month’s theme was “The Four Seasons” and the editors admitted they were unsure what photographers might submit… View Article

August 27, 2017

I was out with a good friend to shoot a Milky Way photo and we ended up at Otter Creek Beach where the creek empties into Platte Bay in Benzie County. This is just south of Empire, Michigan and part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore looking to the south. It was a clear… View Article

Dramatic Windy Sunset At Point Betsie Lighthouse

August 5, 2017

I had finished a family photo shoot last evening and was near Point Betsie Lighthouse, it was very windy and the sunset looked like a colorful and dramatic one. Kind of a no brainer, eh? This is a 6 frame panoramic stitch and I had to keep wiping the lens filter between shots because of… View Article

Empire Bluff Trail Sunset Leelanau County

July 23, 2017

The Empire Bluff Trail is just south of Empire, Michigan in Leelanau County. It’s a fairly short hike from the parking area but rewards you with a spectacular view of the Lake Michigan coastline. To the south is Platte Bay point jutting into the lake and to the north is Sleeping Bear Dunes and South… View Article

Steve is now offering one-on-one photography workshops

July 10, 2017

If you are in the Benzie County area and wish to learn more about your camera, taking photographs and post production editing then perhaps I can help you. I will spend a few hours or even a day with you and working in the field and/or in my studio. Email me at sotasteve@charter.net or call… View Article

Point Betsie During A Snowfall

January 15, 2014

We’ve been having a great winter so far this year in Benzie County. Lots of snow and cold for some great ice. I went out to Point Betsie Lighthouse yesterday afternoon (January 14th) during a delightful snowfall that left us with about a foot of fresh snow overnight. I was shooting my Nikon D800 with the 24-70mm f2.8. This first shot was just as I got out of my car. I was struck by the short path through the dune and trees to the beach framing the small chunks of ice floating on Lake Michigan.

It’s WAY too risky to attempt a lens sway in snowy conditions so I too my old D700 with the 14-24mm lens. I was fairly close to the break wall and shot this pan setup tripod mounted. I didn’t have my nodal point chart with me so I made an educated guess for a pan setting and it worked out ok. I stitched in Photoshop CC, converted to black & white in Nik Silver Efex Pro software and painted back in the little bit of color in the roof of the lighthouse.

This final shot is a handheld vertical 2 shot pano with the D800 and 24-70 lens. Processed and stitched in Photoshop CC and adjusted with Nik Viveza and cropped to a square ratio. I can be challenging shooting during an active snowfall and especially with wind. Keeping snowflakes and water drops off the lens is and uphill battle. You think you might have gotten a great shot only to see there were drops on her lens.

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This post was written by Steve Loveless Photography